page_title: St Scholastica Day riot
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: St Scholastica Day riot / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of 11th century Oxford
context_page_description: The St Scholastica Day riot took place in Oxford, England, on 10 February 1355, Saint Scholastica's Day. The disturbance began when two students from the University of Oxford complained about the quality of wine served to them in the Swindlestock Tavern, which was based at Carfax, in the centre of the town. The students quarrelled with the taverner; the argument quickly escalated to blows. The inn's customers joined in on both sides, and the resulting mêlée turned into a riot. The violence started by the bar brawl continued over three days, with armed gangs coming in from the countryside to assist the townspeople. University halls and students' accommodation were raided and the inhabitants murdered; there were some reports of clerics being scalped. Around 30 townsfolk were killed, as were up to 63 members of the university.
  Violent disagreements between townspeople and students had arisen several times previously, and 12 of the 29 coroners' courts held in Oxford between 1297 and 1322 concerned murders by students. The University of Cambridge was established in 1209 by scholars who left Oxford following the lynching of two students by the town's citizens.
context_section_description: Academic teaching has been going on at Oxford since 1096; as a university it grew rapidly from 1167 and was given a royal charter in 1248, formalising some of its positions and functions. In 1334 Oxford, a town of 5,000 residents, was the ninth wealthiest settlement in England. In 1349 the Black Death affected the town; many townspeople died or left, and a quarter of the scholars perished. The town began to recover soon afterwards, but its finances had been deeply affected. During the first part of the fourteenth century the population was aware of the decline of Oxford's fortunes, and this coincided with disturbance and unrest between the town and university.
  Although co-operation between the university's senior members and the town's burgesses was the norm, town and gown rivalry existed and relations would periodically deteriorate into violence. On the occasions when peace settlements were imposed on the two sides, the outcome favoured the university. In 1209 two Oxford scholars were lynched by the town's locals following the death of a woman, and among those who left the town to study elsewhere were some who settled in Cambridge to start the university that year. In 1248 a Scottish scholar was murdered by the citizens; Robert Grosseteste, the Bishop of Lincoln, enforced a ban of excommunication on the culprits and Henry III fined the town's authorities 80 marks. Violence continued to break out periodically and 12 of the 29 coroners' courts held between 1297 and 1322 concerned murders by the students. Many of these went unpunished by the university or the law. In February 1298 a citizen was murdered by a student; one of the students was killed by Townspeople. The townsfolk responsible for killing the scholar were excommunicated and the town was fined £200 in damages; there were no punishments given to the students. This was the first occasion that the town's bailiffs were recorded as taking part in the violence; it was a feature of several subsequent altercations.
  Often the scholars rioted among themselves, as they did in 1252, 1267, 1273 and 1333–1334. By the early fourteenth century "altercations and violence between citizens and scholars were commonplace", according to the historian Laurence Brockliss. In a 1314 riot between the two main factions of the university—the Northernmen and the Southernmen—39 students were known to have committed murder or manslaughter; seven were arrested and the remainder sought religious sanctuary or escaped. In 1349 scholars from Merton College rioted to have John Wylliot, their preferred candidate, elected Chancellor of the University; and in 1411 scholars rioted against their chancellor.
caption: Map of 11th-century Oxford
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